10 Best Female Boxers of All Time

Female boxers are now as popular as male boxers and they are also dominating the boxing ring and entertaining the audience with skillful performances. Female boxing matches are now getting pay-per-view headlines, events are becoming the best boxing match of the year, etc.

However, that wasn’t the case in the past. Boxing was always considered a male sport. Nevertheless, some women never stopped believing in themselves and kept fighting and breaking down all the barriers and stereotypes. Their world-class boxing performance created today’s boxing platforms for women.

In honor of those women’s heroic boxers, we created a list of the 10 best female boxers of all time.

Let’s see.

1. Lucia Rijker

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 17 (Win) | 14 (Knockout) | 0 (Loss) 
• Kickboxing – 35 (Win) | (25) Knockout | 1 (Draw)

Country: Netherlands

Nickname: The Dutch Destroyer

Lucia Rijker is often known as the most dangerous woman in the world. The former boxer used to fight in the light welterweight division. She is among the only three who were introduced in the Hall of Fame.

Rijker won the WIBF welterweight, WIBO junior welterweight champion, and several other notable trophies. Rijker played a very vital role in the “Million Dollar Baby” movie. She is famous and feared by all cause of her amazing striking ability.

Let’s see more about Rijker.

Name	Lucia Frederica Rijker
Date of Birth	December 6, 1967
Birth Place	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Current Age	55
Occupation	Boxer, Kickboxer, Actress
Net Worth	Approximately $5 million
Height	5 ft 6 in
Weight	63.5 kg
Ethnicity	Dutch
Eye Color	Brown
Gender	Female

Career

Rijker started her boxing career at the age of six. At that time, she started training for judo. She became a member of the Dutch National Softball team the next year. She picked up fencing at thirteen and won the Netherlands Junior Champion of that sport at fourteen.

Rijker started competing in kickboxing at the age of fifteen. One of her early victories in kickboxing came when she knocked out American kickboxing champion Lily Rodriguez.

Lucia holds an amazing record in kickboxing 36-0 and won 25 by knockout. Her only defeat was against male Muay Thai fighter Somchai Jaidee in October 1994 at Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam.

Rijker won her first 14 games but failed to secure a match against Christy Martin. Then she decided to move on from boxing and purchase a career in Hollywood. She played Billie ‘The Blue Bear’ Osterman’s role in the 2004 Oscar-winning film “Million Dollar Baby”. She also appeared in Shadow Boxers, Rollerball, The L Word, Star Trek, and in other movies.

In February 2002, Rijker made her return to the ring again by beating Jane Couch. She kept fighting and winning games until 2006. In 2006, Rijker announced that she would consider only one more bout against Laila Ali.

Achievements

• IWBA Women’s Boxing World Champion 1988-89
• WKA Women’s Division World Champion 1985-95
• ISKA Women’s Division World Champion 1989-94
• WIBF Super Lightweight World Champion in 1997
• WIBO Junior Welterweight World Champion 1998
• European WIBF Boxing Champion 1997-1998

2. Katie Taylor

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 22 (Win) | 6 (Knockout) | 0 (Loss) 

Country: Ireland

Year Active: 2016- Present

Katie Taylor is modern days symbolic female boxer. She is a trailblazer in women’s boxing and made herself one of the best female boxers of this time. Taylor established herself as a legendary boxer before turning into a professional.

In her amateur career, Taylor won five world titles and a gold medal in the Olympics. She competes in the lightweight division and now she is the undisputed lightweight queen of boxing. If Taylor kept going like this, then she would always be on the list of the 10 best female boxers of all time.

Let’s see more about Taylor’s career.

Name	Katie Taylor
Date of Birth	2 July 1986
Birth Place	Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Current Age	36
Occupation	Boxer, Footballer
Net Worth	Approximately $2 million
Height	5 ft 5 in
Weight	61 kg
Ethnicity	Irish
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Female

Career

Taylor’s boxing career started during her school days when she was 12. Her father coached her and her two brothers. Taylor’s first official boxing match occurred when she was fifteen in 2001 at National Stadium, where she defeated Alanna Audley. She used to play football too in school.

Taylor first showed her true potential in 2005 by winning the European Amateur Championships in Tønsberg, Norway. To win the gold medal, she defeated Eva Wahlström in the final match.

Taylor’s second notable success came in 2005 in Warsaw, Poland. She beat Russian reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya to win the tournament Best Boxer award.

In 2006, Taylor came to New Delhi, India, for World Women’s Boxing Championship. She defeated Chalaya once again, and in the final, she met Argentinian boxer Erica Farias and finished her off too.

Taylor first qualified for the Olympics in the 2012 summer Olympics, which was the first time women’s boxing was included in the Olympic games. On 9 August 2012, she defeated Russian boxer Sofya Ochigava to win the Olympics gold medal and became the first Olympic female lightweight champion.

Taylor made her professional debut on 26 November 2016 at the famous Wembley Arena in London and won the match by technical knockout.

Achievements

• World Amateur Championship 2016 in Astana, Kazakhstan
• Won the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan
• Jeju, South Korea World Amateur Championship in 2014

Fun Facts and Controversy

Taylor is the earth’s most famous athlete, but she studied for an art degree at the University College Dublin.

A few times, Taylor’s match created controversy, like the time against Amanda Serrano and Delfine Persoon.

3. Claressa Shields

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 13 (Win) | 2 (Knockout) | 0 (Loss)
• MMA – 1 Win by Knockout, 1 Loss by Decision

Country: USA

Year Active: 2017- Present

As of 2022, Claressa Shields is the best active middleweight female boxer. She is one of the most dangerous active boxers now. Shields had two Olympic gold medals in her pocket. The undisputed middleweight champion already takes over the light-middleweight division. It took her only twelve fights to reach that place.

Shields doesn’t only dominate in the ring, and she has huge activities outside of the ring too. Her work has helped a lot for female boxers to get an equal amount of time and money.

Name	Claressa Maria Shields
Date of Birth	March 17, 1995
Birth Place	Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Current Age	27
Occupation	Boxer, MMA Fighter
Net Worth	Approximately $4 million
Height	5 ft 8 in
Weight	75 kg
Ethnicity	Black
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Female

Career

Shields started her boxing career at Berston Field House in Flint. There she met her coach and trainer, Jason Crutchfield. At first, her father didn’t allow her to box, but she kept continuing. Shields always talked about her grandmother, who always encouraged her to pursue her dream.

Shields first competed in her open division challenge tournament in 2011 and won the middleweight title. In that tournament, she was named overall top fighter, and from the tournament, she got selected for the US Olympic trials.

In the 2012 Olympic trials, Shields defeated 2010 world champion Andrecia Wasson, national champion Franchón Crews-Dezurn, and Tika Hemingway.

At the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, Shields won her first weight class by getting victory over Mary Spencer, the three-time defending world champion.

At the 2012 summer Olympics, Shields defeated Russian boxer Nadezda Torlopova by 19-12 to earn the gold medal.

Shields returned to the Olympics in 2016, and this time she beat Nouchka Fontijn to win the women’s middleweight gold medal.

Shields’s first professional match took place against Franchón Crews-Dezurn in November 2016. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

Shields defeated super-middleweight defending champion Nikki Adler on August 4, 2017.

Next, Shields won the WBAN super-middleweight after defeating Tori Nelson by 17-0.

Achievements

• Won Kids’ Choice Sports Award in 2017
• USA Boxing Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame in 2018
• Christy Martin Award – Female Fighter of the Year 2018

Fun Fact and Controversy

Shield’s father told her the story of legendary boxer Laila Ali, which inspired Shields to sign up for the boxing class.

Shield’s first fight was against a boy, and she won the match.

Shields always wear cartoon socks at all the tournaments.

4. Cecilia Braekhus

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 37 (Win) | 9 (Knockout) | 2 (Loss)

Country: Norway

Nickname: The First Lady

Cecilia Braekhus is known as “The First Lady”. She was one of the best female boxers of all time. She is the first woman to hold all four  WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles at the same time. Only 11 other (male and female) boxers have this record. Braekhus is the first female boxer to win the “Female fighter of the year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Braekhus is an iconic boxer for all the rising female boxers. She is also into modeling and is a very popular one indeed.

Name	Cecilia Carmen Linda Brækhus
Date of Birth	28 September 1981
Birth Place	Cartagena, Colombia
Current Age	41
Occupation	Boxer, Kickboxer
Net Worth	Approximately $5 million
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight	66 kg
Ethnicity	South American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Female

Career

On November 7, Braekhus signed with Germar promoter Wilfried Sauerland for the professional game. Sauerland said his intention was to make Braekhus a world champion. On 20 January 2007, Braekhus had her first professional fight against Ksenija Koprek Croatian boxer.

Before turning into a pro, Braekhus played 80 matches in the amateur division and won 75 of them.

In 2009 Braekhus fought against Danish boxer Vinni Skovgaard and won the WBC World Champion in the welterweight division. She also got the vacant WBA female welterweight title.

Braekhus defended her title twice in 2009. First against Amy Yuratovac on May 30 in Helsinki and second on 12 September in Herning, Denmark, against Lucia Morelli.

On 15 May 2010, Braekhus faced Victoria Cisneros, the United State boxer. She again successfully defended her title in that match and won the WBO title. She won the game by unanimous decision.

On 30 October 2010, Braekhus faced one of the hardest fights of her career. She fought against Mikaela Laurén from Sweden and knocked her out in seven rounds.

After defeating Croatian Ivana Habazin on 14 September 2014, Braekhus set world history when she became the world’s first woman to hold all the major titles in her weight division.

Achievements

• Won the World Boxing Association title in 2009
• Earn the World Boxing Council in 2009
• In 2010 won the World Boxing Organization title
• Won the World Professional Boxing Federation title in 2010

Fun Fact and Controversy

Outside of the ring, Braekhus is a popular role model actress. 

Braekhus was born in Cartagena, Colombia, and then at the age of two, she was adopted by Norwegian parents.

5. Laila Ali

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 24 (Win) | 21 (Knockout) | 0 (Loss)

Country: USA

Nickname: Madame Butterfly

Laila Ali’s name always brings up the legendary boxer Mohammed Ali’s name. However, Laila created her own name and fame from her outstanding boxing career, and her father was a great help though. Ali was an inspiration to many women, and she made so many girls’ dreams come true.

Ali was the first woman to be the headline in the pay-per-view event. She finished her career completely undefeated. She holds world championship titles in two different divisions. Besides having a wonderful career in boxing, Ali is a famous TV personality too.

Name	Laila Amaria Ali
Date of Birth	December 30, 1977
Birth Place	Miami Beach, Florida, U.S
Current Age	45
Occupation	Boxer, Television Personality
Net Worth	Approximately $10 million
Height	5 ft 11 in
Weight	72 kg
Ethnicity	African American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Female

Career

Ali’s boxing career started quite later than our other 10 best female boxers of all time list. She first decided to go on a boxing career at the age of 18. She talked about her decision in the Good Morning America interview. Ali also said that her father was unhappy about her decision to enter into such a dangerous profession.

On October 8, 1999, Ali stepped into the ring for her first fight against April Fowler of Michigan City. The fight took place at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, and Ali knocked her out in the first round.

Ali faced Shadina Pennybaker in her second match and again won the bout by TKO while 3 seconds were left in the clock.

After that Ali complete a total of nine fights and won all of them. Fans wanted to see Ali against George Foreman’s daughter, Freeda Foreman, or Joe Frazier’s daughter, Jacqui Frazier-lyde. On June 8, 2001 evening Ali and Frazier-lyde met each other, and Ali won the fight by majority judges’ decision in eight rounds.

On August 17, 2002, in Las Vegas Ali won her IBA title with a second-round knockout of Suzette Taylor.

Ali added the IWBF Light Heavyweight title to her achievement on September 24, 2004, by defeating Gwendolyn O’Neil.

In addition to her WIBA crown Ali defeated Erin Toughill to earn the World Boxing Council title.

Achievements

• IBA Female Super Middleweight title 2002, 2004
• WIBA World Super Middleweight title 2002, 2007
• WBC World Super Middleweight title 2005, 2007

Fun Facts and Controversy

At the age of 16, Ali was arrested for shoplifting.

She violated the probation term and was sent to a juvenile detention center for three months.

6. Regina Halmich

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 54 (Win) | 16 (Knockout) | 1 (Loss) | 1 (Draw)

Country: Germany

Career: 1994-2007

Regina Halmich is a very significant boxer in our 10 best female boxers of all time list. She has a very vital role in European women’s boxing history. Before Halmich’s time in boxing, Europeans weren’t much familiar with women fighting in the ring. With the raising of Halmich, Europe finally started to see female boxing seriously.

Halmich defended her IBF flyweight title 29 times after winning it in 1995. She played a total of 56 games and lost in only one. Outside of the boxing ring, Halmich is a model and also has her own business.

Name	Regina Halmich
Date of Birth	22 November 1976
Birth Place	Karlsruhe, West Germany
Current Age	46
Occupation	Boxer
Net Worth	Approximately $10 million
Height	5 ft 3 in
Weight	52 kg
Ethnicity	German
Eye Color	Green
Gender	Female

Career

Halmich amateur career started in the late ’80s. As an amateur, she was a German kickboxing champion in 1992, 1993, and 1994, and she also earned the European title in her amateur career.

After turning into a pro, Halmich played in several divisions, and she was a champion in Jr. Flyweight, Flyweight, Jr. Bantamweight, Bantamweight, and Featherweight divisions. Her debut bout took place in Karlsruhe, her hometown, on 4 March 1994 against Fienie Klee.

On 15 January 2005, Halmich successfully defended her world Flyweight title against Marylin Hernandez. The match went to round ten, and Halmich was announced the winner by unanimous decision.

Four months later, she again defended her title against Hollie Dunaway. Halmich fought María Jesús Rosa Reina from Spain in her 50th professional find and retained her title. Halmich had the title for more than 10 years.

Halmich fought her 53rd pro bout on 9 September 2006 against Ria Ramnarine and won the fight by TKO in six rounds.

On 13 January 2007, Halmich fought for the 44th title defense match, where she got victory over Reka Krempf by unanimous decision.

Halmich farewell fight took place on 30 November 2007 against Hagar Finer Israel boxer. She won her last boxing match by a majority decision.

Achievements

Won the WIBF European Flyweight title in 1994

Held WIBF world Junior Flyweight, Flyweight, and Junior Bantamweight titles as well as the European Junior Flyweight and Flyweight titles.

7. Ann Wolfe

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 24 (Win) | 16 (Knockout) | 1 (Loss)

Country– American

Nickname– Brown Sugar

Career– 1998-2006

Ann Wolfe was the most powerful boxer of her time. She has created such a legacy and history that no one could replace her. The amazing boxer will be in the 10 best female boxers of all-time records.

Wolfe became very famous after she knocked out Vonda Ward in 2004 in a devastating punch in the very first round. The match is still one of the most talked about events in boxing.  Besides having a great career in boxing, Wolfe made quite a fame from her training and acting career.

Name	Ann Wolfe
Date of Birth	January 17, 1971
Birth Place	Austin, Texas, U.S
Current Age	52
Occupation	Boxer, Trainer, Actress
Net Worth	Approximately $3 million
Height	5 ft 9 in
Weight	75 kg
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Female

Career

Wolfe didn’t spend much time in her amateur career, where she holds a record of 3-1. In 1998, Wolfe fought at the U.S. National Championships, where she won over Tami Hendrickson by decision. Her second match was with Shanie Keelean of Chicago, whom she stopped only in 46 seconds. In the semifinal, Wolfe met La’Kiea Coffen and lost the contest by disqualification in the third round.

Wolfe’s first professional fight was against Brenda Lee Bell. Wolfe came out as a winner in four rounds by decision.

Wolfe won the next three fights, then met with Valerie Mahfood, who became the world champion later. Wolfe faced her first and last career loss at Mahfood when Mahfood knocked out Wolfe in round four.

Wolfe faced Vienna Williams and got victory over her in ten rounds decision to win her first world title IFBA Jr. Middleweight title.

Wolfe won her vacant WIBA Light middleweight title after beating Gina Nicholas.

Wolfe’s next title fight was against Marsha Valley for the IFBA world Super Middleweight title. She won the game by knocking out Valley in six rounds.

Valley and Wolfe had a rematch for the vacant WIBC’s version of the title. And once again, Wolfe won the game by knocking out Valley in round ten.

Wolfe’s last bout take place in 2006 against Cassandra Giger, won by knockout and decisioning Lisa Ested.

After leaving the boxing ring, Wolfe started working as a boxing trainer. In 2015 Wolfe’s name was introduced in the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.

Achievements

• IFBA Jr. Middleweight title
• WIBA Light Middleweight title
• IFBA world Super Middleweight title

8. Christy Martin

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 49 (Win) | 31 (Knockout) | 7 (Loss) | 3 (Draws)

Country: American

Nickname: The Coal Miner’s Daughter

Career: 1989-2012

Christy Martin is one of the most important boxer figures in the history of women’s boxing. She was the first person to break all the barriers in female boxing and created a symbol that nothing could stop her. Because of her tough nature and longevity, she will always be among the 10 best female boxers of all time. Martin fought for 23 years and finally hung her gloves in 2012.

Name	Christy Renea Martin
Date of Birth	June 12, 1968
Birth Place	Mullens, West Virginia, U.S.
Current Age	54
Occupation	Boxer
Net Worth	Approximately $1 million
Height	5 ft 5 in
Weight	N/A
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Green
Gender	Female

Career

Martin started her career with “Toughwoman” contests. She won three consecutive tournaments there. After that, she started her boxing training with coach Jim Martin. Later they got married in 1991.

In 1989 at the age of 21, Martin started her professional boxing career. Her first fight was against Angela Buchanan, and they ended up a draw in round six.

One month later, Martin set a rematch with Buchanan, and this time Martin won by knockout in the second round.

Martin met Andrea DeShong then and tasted defeat in four round decision. She had a nineteen-winning record in raw then, beating Jamie Whitcomb twice, Suzanne Riccio-Major, and others.

Martin fought against Beverly Szymanski on October 15, 1993, and won the game by knocking her out in round three.

Martin’s first title defense fight took place in Lad Vegas against Laura Serrano, and the bout was a draw.

Later, Martin defended her title six more times, including a rematch with Szymansky, a fourth match with Buchanan, Melinda Robinson, and Sue Chase, and she won all the matches.

On March 16, 1996, Martin face Deirdre Gogarty which is considered a great fight in women’s history. They fought in front of the Showtime cameras, and Martin won the bout by decision. After that, she became more popular and started to show up on the Sports Illustrated cover and in many other media.

In 2005, Martin fought against Laila Ali and lost the bout. She was scheduled to fight Lucia Rijker but it got canceled because in training because Rijker ruptured her Achilles.

Achievements

Won the Women’s Pound for Pound Championship

Won the WBC Women’s Super-Welterweight title

Introduced in Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame 2016 and International Boxing Hall of Fame 2020.

Fun Facts and Controversy

One of the biggest tragic events of Martin’s life took place on November 23, 2010. Her husband, James, stabbed her several time and shot her in the torso, and left her for dead. However, Martin survived the attack, and the police arrested James.

9. Amanda Serrano

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 44 (Win) | 30 (Knockout) | 2 (Loss) | 1 (Draws)
• MMA – 2 (Win by submission) | 1 (Draw)

Country: Puerto Rico

Nickname: The Real Deal

Amanda Serrano modern days the most successful boxer, both male and female. She is now one of the most dangerous active fighters in the whole world. Besides having an outstanding career in boxing, Serrano takes her fight to the next level by joining the MMA fight.

Serrano created a world record when she held 9 major world titles in seven different weight classes.

Name	Amanda Serrano
Date of Birth	October 9, 1988
Birth Place	Carolina, Puerto Rico
Current Age	34
Occupation	Boxer, Wrestler, MMA Artist
Net Worth	Approximately $7 million
Height	5 ft 6 in
Weight	55 kj
Ethnicity	Puerto Rican
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Female

Career

Serrano got her training and is managed by the famous women’s boxing trainer Jordan Maldonado. He made Serrano boxing 360’s first world champion.

Serrano captures the vacant NABF featherweight title by getting victory over Jennifer Scott. The bout was fixed for 8 rounds, however, Serrano knocked out Scott in her first round.

In Cloetta Center, Linköping, Sweden, Serrano faced Frida Wallberg, the undefeated champion. For this WBC title, the rules were to use 10-ounce gloves instead of the mandatory 8 ounces for that division. Serrano lost the game by a unanimous decision, and it created a huge controversy after that Serrano had 28 consecutive winning records.

In 2016, Serrano defended her WBO featherweight title against Calixta Silgado by TKO in the first round.

On July 21, 2017, Serrano put her WBO super-bantamweight title on the line against Edina Kiss. She defends the title via their round TKO win.

Heather Hardy and Serrano faced each other in the ring on September 13, 2019. Serrano took her WBO featherweight title by beating Hardy via 10 round unanimous decision.

Serrano defended her WBC/WBO featherweight titles on March 25, 2021, against Daniela Bermudez, in the ninth round.

Serrano’s career’s biggest fight took place on April 30, 2022. She and current-time superstar Katie Taylor met each other and became the first female boxing match headline of Madison Square Garden. Serrano faced her second career loss in that bout by split decision.

Achievements

• Serrano is a world undisputed featherweight champion.
• Serrano is the only female boxer to win world titles in four different weight classes.
• The Puerto Rico boxer has 11 world titles in seven weight classes.

Fun Facts and Controversy

Serrano was never into boxing at an early age. Her sister Cindy was a boxer too, and she got inspired by her sister’s passion and started training.

Serrano’s fight with Taylor creates huge controversy, fans claimed that Serrano’s victory was robbed by a split decision.

10. Mia St. John

Record:

• Professional Boxing – 49 (Win) | 19 (Knockout) | 14 (Loss) | 2 (Draws)

Country: USA

Nickname: The Knockout

Mia St. John is our last female boxer on the 10 best female boxers of all time list. She got her nickname “The Knockout” because of her outstanding way of fighting and knocking out opponents so fast. She was a World Boxing Council champion in a super welterweight title. Besides her successful boxing career, St. John is also a model and businesswoman.

Name	Mia Rosales St. John
Date of Birth	June 24, 1967
Birth Place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Current Age	55
Occupation	Boxer
Net Worth	Approximately $7 million
Height	5 ft 6 in
Weight	58 kj
Ethnicity	Mexican-American
Eye Color	Brown
Gender	Female

Career

On February 14, 1997, St. John’s first professional bout took place against Angelica Villain. In her first fight, she knocked out Villain just in 47 seconds and earned the nickname “The Knockout”.

St. John’s first manager was Art Lovett, in partnership with her brother Stewart Lovett. Later she signed up with Top Rank Boxing and Don King.

She had 23 fights there and won 22 bouts; one was a draw. All the fights were set for four rounds, and she got national attention from bouts. She got the “Queen of the Four-Rounders” title which she never liked.

St. John was injured by a skiing accident after her twentieth fight. She had two surgery and removed a blood clot.

Achievements

• WBC Champion in the super welterweight division
• IBA lightweight champion
• IFBA lightweight champion

Fun Facts and Controversy

St. John created huge controversy after becoming the cover of Playboy magazine in 1999. Boxing press described her as a “Busty Bunny Boxer” after that.

St. John admitted taking prohibited substances, including steroids, and she also masked agents.

Conclusion

We have reached the conclusion of the 10 best female boxers of all time list. Now you know who were the great female boxers that made history and still dominating the ring. Thank you for being with us for such a long discussion, hope you like it, and if you have another name in your head, then let us know in the comment box.

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